It makes me so cross..

[DangerousMouse]

To see things like this on eBay

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STARTER-FISH-TANK-/160945972636?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item257920a59c

Sorry, I can't do the link thingy.

Who would honestly put goldfish in there, you'd need to do hourly water changes just to keep the water safe for them!

[Mamajammas]

The picture looks like a tiny Tupperware container but the measurements say its 23cm in diameter which is the same size as my large casserole pan so not as small as it looks (if the measurements are correct).

Personally I would not buy it as its still small but then I wouldn't buy from someone who has a racist name like chinky eyez...

[EauRouge]

I don't know who makes those Gussie goldfish bowls but if the factory caught on fire I'd open up a bag of marshmallows.

That bowl holds 7 litres- you'd need something 20 times that volume to house a goldfish if you wanted it to be healthy and live its life expectancy (12 years+). The listing says that goldfish are cheap pets- that's only true if you keep them in crappy little bowls with no filtration, don't bother to treat them when they inevitably get ill and don't mind if they only reach 1/10th of their potential. But hey, it's only £1 for a new one, right?

You and me are singing from the same hymn sheet, DangerousMouse.

[Marne]

Makes me angry, i hate it when i see people in PAH buying tiny tanks, i feel like butting in and saying 'dont buy that sh*t, its not big enough for a snail let alone a poor fish!' but i would probably get kicked out of the shop.

[EauRouge]

I've been kicked out of a pet shop before

I know what you mean about butting in, it's very difficult to know what to do. Probably better to speak to the shop manager about the advice they give, but they usually just trot out the "we've consulted experts" line, even though in some pet shops the terms 'expert' and 'salesperson' seem to be interchangeable.

P@H are really shooting themselves in the foot with their crappy advice, they have a terrible reputation when it comes to aquatics. I don't know much about other animals but I would bet they have a terrible reputation when it comes to rabbits/hamsters/gerbils etc as well.

[Marne]

I have bought a few fish from p&h and most have been ok, our local one isn't too bad but i went to another store last week where lots of parents were buying gold fish to put in small tanks that their children had got for christmas (i had to grit my teath and leave) and the fish didn't look that great either .

[EauRouge]

I went to a garden centre the other day just to get some dechlorinator but the fish were in such bad shape that I couldn't bring myself to spend any money there. I also won't buy from another shop that obviously takes a large cut from Biorb and recommends a comet goldfish for a 15 litre biorb

So I have to drive several miles to go to another shop (Notcutts or Maidenhead Aquatics), but it's worth it IMO. I won't give my money to shops that don't care about the welfare of the animals they sell.

[DangerousMouse]

My local Maidenhead are also good, they give very good advise. A friend of mine has 2 goldfish in a plastic tank which must be about 15l, it breaks my heart every time I see them as they can barely turn around. She won't take advise from me though, they get cleaned out by being put in a sink of water while the tank is scrubbed and refilled.

You should need a license to keep animals. And sell them.

[Marne]

It is hard to find good aquatic shops, there are not many good ones here, i have now found several people who bread and sell from home, their fish seem to be a lot better (and cheaper) than what i have found in shops.